Sunday, 24 February 2013

The Shah and Persian Gold

Genghis
Khan’s external victories were mounting. He had invaded and defeated the armies
of Western Xia, the Jin Dynasty, Korea and the Khanate of Kara-Khitan. He held
sway over a very large population in a huge geographic area. He chose not to
use his resources to govern and administer these lands but rather extract
enormous wealth. He had allowed many of the local leaders of each area that
submitted to him to rule, collect taxes and deliver huge annual tribute to him.
This was an offer that they could not refuse if they wished to avoid certain death.

Genghis
Khan now sought to increase trade with other empires as yet another source of
income. Consequently he sent a caravan of approximately 500 men loaded with trade
items to the Persian Empire. Ancient custom was that caravans and ambassadors
were given safe passage by foreign countries. However, the governor of the Persian
border area (now Uzbekistan) suspected them of being spies. Instead, he seized
the caravan and slaughtered the Mongols.

Genghis
Khan received word of the caravan’s fate and was enraged. Relatively unknown
outside Asia, Genghis Khan sent ambassadors directly to the Shah of Persia
demanding that the Shah turn over the official responsible for the massacre to
him. Not realizing what the repercussions would be, the Shah chose to execute
the Mongol ambassadors.

Genghis
Khan had always understood the value of good spies and indeed had some in Persia.
When they reported the Shah’s killing of his ambassadors, Genghis Khan went to
war and attacked.

At
that time the Persian Empire occupied around one million square miles. The
Mongols initially took several rich towns and cities without really penetrating
very far. Then an audacious Genghis Khan directed his generals to go after the
Shah himself in Persia. There was no stopping the path of destruction their
armies laid down on the way to their goal. Soon the Shah fled his country,
dying in exile and poverty. The immense wealth of Persia was now the property
of the Mongol ruler.

Enter
to win one of twenty-five copies of my soon to be released historical e novel “The
Guardian of Genghis Khan’s Tomb” by clicking